Professor Dan Mato in Paris with a Henry Moore sculpture inspired by  primitivism.

Professor Dan Mato in Paris with a Henry Moore sculpture inspired by primitivism.

Expert on African art to speak at Campbell River art gallery lecture series

The first speaker, on Thursday, Feb. 14, will be Professor Dan Mato who will share his deep knowledge and passion for primitivism

A new series of evening lectures  at the Campbell River Art Gallery will allow art fans to delve deep into a wide variety of fascinating topics this season with leading experts.

The lectures are set for Thursday evenings at 7:20 p.m. (to accommodate the Quadra Island ferry schedule) and admission is $5.

The first speaker, on Thursday, Feb. 14, will be Professor Dan Mato who will share his deep knowledge and passion for primitivism and abstraction in Europe. Mato will discuss how primitivism (which saw Western artists borrow ideas from aboriginal forms) inspired contemporary art in France, Germany and other European countries.

Mato has had a long and interesting career. He is currently Professor Emeritus of Art History at the University of Calgary. He completed his PhD in African Art History at Indiana University, after completing his B.A. and M.A. in Michigan in Classical Art History.

He has curated exhibitions across North America and Europe and has been named a research affiliate at the University of Ghana.

He is currently curator of the African collection at Calgary’s Museum of Making.

Mato is a mesmerizing and passionate speaker. Anyone who has had the pleasure of attending a lecture with Professor Mato knows his talks are not to be missed.

After Mato’s Feb. 14 lecture, the next Thursday evening lectures include:

  • Thursday, Feb. 21 – Oliver Kellhammer on ‘Botanical Interventions and Autonomous Zones.’ Recent phenomena such as the Occupy Movement and the rise of ‘hacker’ culture have provided unprecedented opportunity for artistic expression outside the traditional confines of galleries and museums. Hear more from land artist and activist Oliver Kellhammer.
  • Thursday, Feb. 28 – Ken Blackburn on ‘whateverything’. Blackburn is the executive director of the Campbell River Arts Council and he is always entertaining!
  • Thursday, March 14 – 31 Annual Members’ Show Opening – Join artists, local dignitaries and CR Art Gallery and CR Arts Council members as this beloved annual show opens and the award winners are announced.
  • Thursday, March 21 – Sue Donaldson on ‘Funding Available for Artists.’ Donaldson works for the B.C. Arts Council and she’ll provide valuable information on how to make a successful pitch to funders.
  • Thursday, March 28 – Jeanette Taylor and Marcy Prior on The Art of Gardening in Campbell River: A Pictorial Feast of Some of the Region’s Finest Gardens. Taylor and Prior are members of the Campbell River Art Gallery’s Garden and Art Tour organizing team and they’ll share why Campbell River is a garden paradise.

For more information on the Thursday Evening Lectures, call the Campbell River Art Gallery at 250-287-2261 or email programs@crartgallery.ca.

Campbell River Mirror